Snippets of Life

Tonight, I'm really not feeling the whole "work on my to-do list" thing. Sometimes I push through that to get it done anyway, but tonight I've decided to let myself do the things that I want to do. They're all fun things that I've been thinking about for a while (like this blog post) or that will need to be done at some point anyways (like wedding brainstorming). So, it's not a totally unproductive night. 

Speaking of wedding planning, as a friend of mine says with great excitement, "Can we just talk about this for a minute?" Holy cow. I still can't always believe it's really happening. I've definitely run the gamut of emotions in this last month and half, from blissful exuberance to fear of the change, from overwhelmed with decisions to inexpressibly joyful over dreams coming true. I'm not sure it's the "always-kittens-and-rainbows" picture that society paints of brides-to-be, but it's honest. And, it's amazing. 

And speaking of trying to be productive, this is what a sleepy Saturday afternoon looks like when I need to get sewing done, but would rather be cuddling with my guy. Sometimes, you just need a second cup of coffee and six hours of Pride and Prejudice to pull you through!

For a while now I've been staring at the mending pile. Why is mending always the hardest to do? Even though it'll take all of five minutes, I have the worst time working up the motivation to finish it. There seems to be a spiritual lesson there; I'm ready and willing to take care of the "big" issues in my life, but how eager am I to take care of those "little" issues, like frustration over small things, or selfishness in my time, or thinking poorly of those I don't get a long with?

There is something truly beautiful about freshly pressed, snowy white linens. Can I just surround my life in linen?

I'm really thankful for the flexibility that owning my own business allows. Not just that I can take a day off when I want to, but that on the days when I am working, I can work around my energy levels. I always hit an afternoon slump, and I am grateful to be able to take a nice long coffee break, knowing that I'll work well into the evening when energy returns. 

Even though we all strive to be happy and smiling all the time, we'd be lying if we said we don't have days when the gray winter sky gets us down and we really just want to crawl back into bed. So, sometimes I just need to wear a shirt with colorful cartoon animals all over it, and put on lipstick even though the only place I'm going is the laundromat. Little things can really help to improve my mood. 

Sometimes, the busyness of summer is beyond overwhelming, but I always start feeling cooped-up pretty quickly in the quieter days of January. Decent weather calls for a walk on my favorite "I'm-going-stir-crazy" trail. Not much to look at in the dead of winter, but peaceful and full of fresh air. 

So, what does your January look like?

The Average [Paleo] American

Several weeks ago, I was struck with an idea, that if I were ever to open a restaurant, and I would want it to be a paleo-friendly menu that catered to the tastes of an average American. What I mean is, most paleo-friendly restaurants have very Mediterranean or African or other ethnic cuisine. True, those cultures have really found some great ways to make delicious meals out of a few simple, nutritious ingredients; but, sometimes this American girl just wants to feel normal, as if she didn't have crazy diet restrictions, and to be able to pronounce everything she's eating - simple words like pizza, barbecue, and chocolate. I'd want it to be a place where even picky and non-paleo eaters could find a multitude of yummy meals. True, many things just can't be replicated without using non-paleo ingredients, but I think it'd be an interesting challenge.

Though this idea will likely never come to pass, I still like to gauge my recipe testing by whether I would serve it in my imaginary restaurant or not. The food that inspired this idea was one of my favorite breakfasts - roasted green beans with almond pesto and fried eggs. I never used to love green beans, but I think it's because I only had them steamed. I've yet to find a vegetable that roasting doesn't make ten times more delicious, and green beans are no exception. Top that with the flavorful, crunchy, creamy almond pesto and you have a serious winner. One morning, I added some leftover shredded brisket to the mix, and BAM! Inspiration struck! It tasted so "normal" and "unhealthy", in the best sense, while all the ingredients were still very nutritious and paleo-approved. Either way, brisket added or not, I definitely recommend giving this recipe a try!

My next menu item would be this little wonder that I invented this week. I had some bacon to use up, and was craving pizza, so I decided to mix the two into a BLT pizza. I used the coconut flour breadstick recipe that I posted about a few weeks ago as the base. I baked it until it was just barely finished, then spread olive oil on top and sprinkled it with Italian seasoning. I used watered-down tomato paste as my sauce, but I'm sure pizza sauce would be equally as good, if not better. Next, I put a layer of tomato slices, and crumbled cooked bacon on top. After baking it just a little longer to heat the tomatos and sauce, I finished the pizza by topping it with shredded lettuce and homemade mayonnaise. True, this isn't pizza, and it's not a BLT sandwich, but I think it takes some of the best parts of each and combines them into one tasty, paleo treat. The "breadsticks" made a perfect, flatbread-like crust, and gave you the simply joyful feeling of picking up a slice of hot "pizza". Yes, the experience of eating is just as important as the taste!

My last meal - pomegranate cinnamon chia seed pudding - is honestly a bit of a stretch for my Average [Paleo] American menu. I don't think chia seeds are something that you'll see in many American households, and I'd say that most of my friends and family members would be a little weirded out if I served it to them. However, it is SO delicious, and I think could win a lot of people over. Chia seed puddings are so versatile - they're just a base of milk and chia seeds, and the flavor can be changed very easily by whatever else you add. This pomegranate cinnamon variety has a warm, fruity flavor. I did make two changes to the original recipe; first, I added 8 tbls of seeds instead of 6 tbls, because I like my pudding to be good and thick. Second, I cut the cinnamon in half, because 1 tsp ending up making it way too spicy and overwhelmed the vanilla. Something else which none of the chia pudding recipes seem to mention is that you'll need to whisk the pudding before serving, because all the seeds fall to the bottom of the milk as it is chilling, and you'll get a clump of gooey seeds with milk on top if you don't stir. I've found that letting it chill in a wide dish so that the pudding is shallow helps the seeds to soak up the milk more evenly. So, if you want something a little unusual but still very comfort-food-like, give this pudding a try!